Herbs, spices and cardiovascular disease 129
aldehyde together with cinnamyl-acetic ester and a little cinnamic acid and eugenol.
It has a variety of medical uses but its relation to cardiovascular disease is its anti-
clotting effect. It is also a rich source of calcium and fibre, which are both able to
bind to bile salts and remove them from the body. When bile is removed, the body
must break down cholesterol to make new bile, which can help to lower the cholesterol
levels. It does also have powerful antioxidant properties that far exceed those shown
by anise, ginger, liquorice, mint, nutmeg and vanilla and is also more powerful than
the chemical food additive BHA and BHT (Murcia et al., 2004).
8.2.7 Turmeric
Turmeric is a 5–6 ft plant (Curcuma longa L.), which sends out rhizomes that can be
collected and either used fresh like ginger or dried and powdered. Aromatic tumerone
is the major compound present in tumeric oil alongside curcumin. The spice is a
powerful antioxidant where the antioxidant properties of the oil are thought to be due
to the synergistic activities of the major components (Guddadarangavvanahally et
al., 2002) of which the active components are a group of phenolic compounds including
curcumin (Miquel et al., 2002).
8.2.8 Thyme
Thyme is a general name for the many herbs of the Thymus species all of which are
small perennial plants found in Europe and Asia and which are now grown in the US.
The leaves are used fresh and dried or extracted for the flavouring oil. The herb is
also valued for its antiseptic and anti-oxidant properties. The major constituent is
thymol but there appears to be a synergistic role for the other constituents of the oil,
which are terpinen-4-ol, carvacrol, p-cymene, pinene, camphene, myrcene, 1,8-cineole,
terpinene, d-linalool and flavonoids such apigenin, naringenin, luteolin and thymonin
(Hudaib et al., 2002).
8.2.9 Garlic
Garlic (Allium sativum) has a very long folk history of use in a wide range of
ailments. Daily use of garlic as in the Mediterranean diet is thought to contribute to
the lower incidence of heart disease in these areas. The active components are the
sulphur-containing compounds, alliin, iso-alliin and methin which, on tissue damage,
release volatiles following breakdown by the enzyme alliinase. The volatiles are
short lived and rapidly transform chemically to pungent sulphides and bisulphides
(Block, 1996).
8.3 Herbs spices and cardiovascular disease.......................................
Analysis of the above herbs and spices has confirmed that they all contain a high
concentration of antioxidants (Halvorsen et al., 2002). When included in the diet
these antioxidants are thought to protect cell-based molecules from damage by oxidation
which will occur during the normal process of metabolism. Further oxidative stress
is created by over-strenuous exercise, chronic disease or exposure to environmental
pollution. Free radicals produced as a result of oxidative processes are unstable and